Year 5 Autumn Term 2

In English, we will be beginning our work using the book ‘There’s a Girl in the Boy’s Bathroom,’ by Louis Sacar.

This book has as its main character Bradley, a ‘bad’ boy who is always in trouble. We get right into Bradley’s heart and mind in this narrative, offering children ways to discuss issues of friendship, bullying, and the links between self-esteem, behaviour and learning through the events in the story. The book supports the children’s learning when looking at the plot of the story, character development and their emotional response to strong themes in narrative fiction.

In Maths, we will be completing our first Multiplication unit, pupils will be taught how to identify multiples, Factors, Common factors, Prime numbers, Square numbers and Cube numbers. We will then develop our knowledge of multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000.  We will then complete our first fractions unit; children will begin this unit revising their knowledge of equivalent fractions before learning about unit and non-unit fractions; and families of equivalent fractions. Pupils will be taught how to convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers.

In Science, the children will be investigating Materials, children will compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, response to magnets and electrical and thermal conductivity.

• give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular use of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic.
• Working scientifically, classify materials in different ways explaining their classification criteria.
• plan, carry out and interpret an investigation in trying to answer a question about the most suitable material for a given function.

In RE, Year 5 will be completing their study of Hinduism and will be investigating ‘What can we learn from some aspects of the Hindu religion?’  This unit will introduce pupils to some of the key concepts of Hinduism. We will study the Hindu belief in a Supreme Being (God) and how this belief is conveyed through practices and worship; make links between Hindu festivals and those of their own religious or family celebrations. We will then consider Hindu practices and festivals in India and in the UK, identifying how they are similar and different. In addition, they will also be visiting a Mandir. There they will learn about how Hindus worship in the Mandir, find out about some of the deities and what is important to Hindus. 

We will them move onto the unit ‘Whose world is it?’ where children will reflect on their responsibilities to the Earth before investigating the ‘Creation Story’.

In History, we will be completing our study of the unit ‘Pharaohs’ and will be travelling back 5000 years to the dusty realms of Ancient Egypt. We will be cruising along the Nile to enter a world of mysteries and curses, mummies and kings. We will be learning about Tutankhmun, ancient Egyptian beliefs, and artefacts; developing an understanding how this civilization has contributed to world history.

In Art, children will investigate Egyptian works of art in order to develop their understanding of, and their skills in, the visual elements of art and design. Using a range of  materials and mediums, children will apply their skills to creating an Egyptian cartouche and sculpture.

In Music, we will be looking at how compositions can be used to represent colours and linking it to the Holi festival. Children explore how music can be experienced visually by associating sounds and rhythms with different colours. Next, with a focus on the different dimensions of music, they compose a piece of music based on a single colour.

In PSHE, we will be studying the unit ‘Celebrating Difference’. Over this unit of work, children will develop their understanding of differences between cultures; the term racism; how rumour-spreading and name-calling can be bullying behaviours; the difference between direct and indirect types of bullying; compare their life with people in the developing world and begin to understand a different culture from their own.

In French, we will be continuing to develop sentences about family members. We will be using Kapow French for our learning in class this year although all children are able to practise their learning at home using the online resource Linguascope.

In PE, the children will be learning about gymnastics and dance. They will develop their individual balancing skills, learn about counter balances, create routines and understand the importance of body management when using the equipment. The children will also be putting routines to music and learning how to use cannon and unison techniques within dance.

In their second PE lesson, the children will be developing their knowledge and understanding when taking part in orienteering. They will be need to use their co-operation, communication skills and be determined, whilst completing a variety of activities.